Nice drama back and forth and Conner blew a golden opportunity in the top of the 9th by loading the bases on 2 errors and a walk with no outs and failed to score. Talk about dodging a shotgun spray! Conner Hempel hit a clutch 2-out 2-run home run in the bottom of the 6th to knot the score at 5. Ryle feeling great, no doubt, to continue the suspended game tomorrow. The announcer said 4:30 tomorrow for continuation in the 10th inning with the winner facing Boone.

Nice drama back and forth and Conner blew a golden opportunity in the top of the 9th by loading the bases on 2 errors and a walk with no outs and failed to score. Talk about dodging a shotgun spray! Conner Hempel hit a clutch 2-out 2-run home run in the bottom of the 6th to knot the score at 5. Ryle feeling great, no doubt, to continue the suspended game tomorrow. The announcer said 4:30 tomorrow for continuation in the 10th inning with the winner facing Boone.

 

Incredible.

This was indeed as exciting a baseball game as you could possibly imagine. A couple things really stood out to me:

 

1) The pitchers for both teams - to a man - were outstanding. Downs (Ryle) pitched 4 innings in relief and struck out 9 batters. Heard he was hitting 85 on the radar gun. Way (Conner) also did a super job in relief.

 

2) Hempel's HR was clutch and it was crushed.

 

3) If you ever wanted an example of how important bunting is - and how it is becoming a lost art - you could find no better example than in this game. Missed bunt opportunity after missed bunt opportunity, not the least of which was a whiffed suicide bunt with bases loaded in Conner's 9th inning. Ryle also failed on a couple of bunt opportunities. Frankly, this game would be over if some of these bunts had been put down. Not sure who would have won, but the game would likely be over.

 

4) Small thing, but I was impressed at how composed Arlinghaus was throughout the game, especially after the missed suicide. I think most coaches would have gone berserk and ripped into the hitter (very well may have done so in private, of course). He simply clapped his hands and immediately started encouraging the batter to get a hit (he didn't). It just kind of caught my eye how composed he was about it.

Definitely a lot of suspense. Both starting pitchers pitched well enough to win most games. Just enough hitting to keep it interesting.

 

I'm not sure but I think Mark Downs didn't see the pop up in front of him to start the 9th. Walked the next batter then for some reason on a grounder right to him, the first baseman tried to throw to 3rd when he had no chance to get the lead runner. Bases loaded.

 

Strike out, botched squeeze, and strike out and the inning is over with no damage. Crazy.

 

On a side note, the PU had a nice tight zone the entire night until late then called 4-5 low pitches that he hadn't called all night. I could live with that.

 

The first base ump had no business being on the field in a big game. Two terrible calls and I noticed 3 different occasions that the other umps had to move him because he didn't know what position to be in on the field. Obviously inexperienced and should have been given the 3B spot rather than 1B.

 

It should be an interesting finish tomorrow, weather permitting.

Ironic, Coop, that two Krumps disciples have teams that struggled with bunting.

 

I agree about Arlo's demeanor. I sometimes question Arlo's strategy (hey, if I can question Krumps I can question Arlo, right?) but I've liked the way he comports himself.

If Conner loses this game it is on NOBODY but the Cougars coaching staff. With a runner on 2nd and 2 outs with Hempel up then why not put him on first base? Especially when your up 2 runs. Instead he blasts a 400ft 2 run homerun. Dumb coaching IMHO.

If Conner loses this game it is on NOBODY but the Cougars coaching staff. With a runner on 2nd and 2 outs with Hempel up then why not put him on first base? Especially when your up 2 runs. Instead he blasts a 400ft 2 run homerun. Dumb coaching IMHO.

 

Was standing behind the backstop talking to Skinny and told him I would walk Hempel because he can tie the game on one pitch and bam there it goes for a HR. Just didn't make sense to me at least to pitch to the one man who you knew could go yard on you to tie the game. I would have walked Hempel and took my chances with the Daniel Etscheid the number two batter of Ryle.

If Conner loses this game it is on NOBODY but the Cougars coaching staff. With a runner on 2nd and 2 outs with Hempel up then why not put him on first base? Especially when your up 2 runs. Instead he blasts a 400ft 2 run homerun. Dumb coaching IMHO.

 

 

So, you'd put the tying run on base? Then the next guy doubles, he scores. And you get to run to BGP and complain about putting the tying run on base.

So, you'd put the tying run on base? Then the next guy doubles, he scores. And you get to run to BGP and complain about putting the tying run on base.

 

Arlinghaus admitted he considered walking Hempel with first base open.

 

"It's one of those where I'm an idiot for putting the tying run on base, but if I pitch to him I'm an idiot, too," said Arlinghaus. "He's a heckuva ballplayer."

 

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110524/SPT0302/105250354

Tough call with walking Hempel. I certainly wouldn't considered it a no-brainer decision. You put the tying run on base, go-ahead run at the plate, and have to pitch to the heart of Ryle's order at that point. I believe Conner had 3 HR's in some 80+ AB's this season up to that at-bat, so it's not as if he's some prolific home run hitter. A good hitter, yes. A big home run hitter, no. Like Arlinghaus said, I guess the fact that he knocked one out makes it look like a horrible decision, but I think a lot of coaches pitch to him in that situation.

It's situations like this that I wish more NKY baseball fields had lights like central KY. You hate to stop a team's forward progress because of darkness. As a coach you have to make sure your team isn't a slow starter or else you are going to kick yourself for losing an opportunity

So, you'd put the tying run on base? Then the next guy doubles, he scores. And you get to run to BGP and complain about putting the tying run on base.

 

The Tying run was at the plate already in Hempel and the kid is a huge play maker. Like Coop stated, he isn't a huge HR guy but he is the MAN at Ryle.

 

So walk Hempel and yes two are on and with Ryle needing two to tie, I don't see Ryle taking a huge chance on scoring from second on a single and can't see them sending in the tyring run on a double from first ( you did notice the runners sliping on the bases today didn't you). I believe it would have taken two hits to score the tying run, so I would have taken my chances that my pitcher wasn't going to give up two hits and remember there were two outs.

 

BTW this wasn't a monday morning comment, as I said I told Skinny this as Hemple was coming to bat! The kid is a huge play maker and a fist class baseball player, who will find a way to beat you!

The Tying run was at the plate already in Hempel and the kid is a huge play maker. Like Coop stated, he isn't a huge HR guy but he is the MAN at Ryle.

 

So walk Hempel and yes two are on and with Ryle needing two to tie, I don't see Ryle taking a huge chance on scoring from second on a single and can't see them sending in the tyring run on a double from first ( you did notice the runners sliping on the bases today didn't you). I believe it would have taken two hits to score the tying run, so I would have taken my chances that my pitcher wasn't going to give up two hits and remember there were two outs.

 

BTW this wasn't a monday morning comment, as I said I told Skinny this as Hemple was coming to bat! The kid is a huge play maker and a fist class baseball player, who will find a way to beat you!

 

As much baseball as you watch, I thought you'd be wiser. There is a huge difference between having the tying run on 1st, with the winning run at the plate, than just having the tying run at the plate. Sure, you can say it all you want, but no one puts Hempel on in that situation. And you made my point..........he didn't find a way to beat them, he couldn't in that AB. That's why you pitch to him. To a kid that had 3 HR's all year, it's a no brainer.

Decisions like the one on walking Hempel are what makes baseball so interesting. Baseball is a chess match with a multitude of moves made every game. If it works, you are smart. If it doesn't, you are dumb. The odds of one result or the other are impacted by so many factors. Who was on second? Who was catching? Could there be a double steal? What does the pitcher throw? What kind of move does he have? Is the pitcher wild or does he like to throw low breaking balls that could result in a wild pitch and put the tieing run in scoring position? Who was on deck for Ryle? How does he match up with the pitcher? How is the on deck hitter in clutch situations? If it is a bad match up, do you walk Hempel and bring in another pitcher? How does bringing in another pitcher impact your lineup on the hitting side? Does the pitcher have good enough control that you could pitch around Hempel and get him to swing at a bad pitch or walk him that way if he doesn't go fishing? If you walk Hempel and put the tieing run on, how does that impact your pitcher psychologically? Will he tighten up or feel forced to throw good pitches to the next batter so he doesn't walk him and load the bases? I am sure there are other possible factors I didn't list based on the players and their abilities and matchups. Most baseball decisions aren't easy even when they may look easy when you truly consider all the possibilities. This is the chess match that happens on every pitch in baseball. I can't fault the coach for pitching to Hempel. It was a reasonable decision that just didn't work this time.

VOR well said!!! That's why we love baseball!!!!